


A Broken Reality

by EmilytheNeko13



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Brief mentions of AI Animation Studios, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-12-17 17:36:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21058325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilytheNeko13/pseuds/EmilytheNeko13
Summary: He was trying to warn us...Black Hat isn't some cartoon he had created...Black Hat is real, and he's feeding off of our attention, our fears...and even kidnapping us, using us to make him even more powerful.





	1. Prologue

He always put on a cheerful smile in front of the camera. He wanted to show the fans there was nothing to fear. He would pretend that everything was fine...but he knew how grim his reality was going to become.

He could hear the screams. The screams were the worst. How could he honestly work while his fans and friends screamed in the background? He wanted to request sound-proof walls, but he knew that...monster...would never comply. His suffering and irritation was pleasing to the creature, as was the fans screaming for any multitude of reasons.

He wanted to cry. He didn't mean for any of this to happen. He wished he could go back in time and stop himself from doing that stupid ritual. His ignorance cost him his life as well as his fans' lives...his friends lives...They were either going to be trapped like him...or die...

He finally caved into his emotions, covering his face, sobbing into his hands.

"Will someone save me from this Hell?..."


	2. A Dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it just a dream? A nightmare?

There was a strange phenomenon happening on Tumblr, something that only people who were part of the Villainous community had noticed. Those who posted Villainous content would go missing for at least five to six weeks, then start posting again, coming up with some excuse for the absence. It was different every time. They suddenly found themselves homeless, they couldn’t afford the Internet, there was some kind of disaster. There was also a small detail I noticed as well in this trend: If the creators had commissions up for writing or drawing, they would suddenly cancel them. You would think that after returning from some kind of emergency, they would be desperate for commission money…

It was even worse for AI Animation Studios. As they did their art streams, they started receiving nothing but messages asking about these strange occurrences. They ended up having to block anyone from even mentioning it, clearly stating it in their stream rules to not ask anymore questions about the disappearances. I remembered the one night I caught one of the streams...it was Alan and Miguel...they looked...saddened, scared...They couldn't have anything to do with it, it wasn't possible...but...why?

That was the same night my friend Esmeralda went missing. I had met her through her Villainous comic on Tumblr, and we became good friends. If AI Animation Studios didn't have an answer to these disappearances, including her's, then I had to find one myself. I spent hours to days scouring her blog, trying to find some kind of clue to her mysteriously vanishing without so much as a reason why. She hadn’t answered any of my messages which made me worry even more. I reached out to some people I knew she was friends with, but had no luck in finding anything from them either. There was only one message she had left me, one that provided a definite hint to her disappearance, but it was only part of a larger mystery,

“He’s coming for us, Emily. You need to hide.”

What did she mean by that? Sure, Esmeralda and I often joked with each other, sending ominous messages for shits and giggles, but...this was different. I could always tell when something was going to turn out to be a joke, and this just didn’t give off that kind of aura. This was a genuine message, warning me of oncoming danger. But who was ‘he’, and why was he coming for us? Why me? Days went by, and I hadn’t experienced any life threatening situations involving dangerous individuals...yet anyway.

I leaned back and sighed. I had sent messages to users who had disappeared before, asking what had happened to them and that Esmeralda had disappeared too. Out of the six, only two answered, “What do you mean? I was homeless for a while, like I said! Haha!” and “Didn’t you read my post? I got robbed :/ It sucked yo but I’m back in action!”

This was getting ridiculous. I didn’t buy these lies and Esmeralda’s life (and possibly mine) was on the line. I felt worthless, knowing I couldn’t find a way to help her. Was she even alive? 

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the sound of my dogs. They made huffing noises, as if they were both getting ready to start barking. I frowned, thinking that maybe somebody out in the apartment hallway made a loud noise and caught their attention. 

“He’s coming for us…”

I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. That warning repeated itself in my head as I kept hearing my dogs whine and huff. I nervously climbed off my bed and grabbed the baseball I kept under it, gripping it tightly as I made my way into the dark living room. The two dogs had their eyes on the sliding glass door. They must’ve pushed back the curtain and saw something walk by. Maybe a deer or a cat? As I scanned the door to see what I could make out, I saw...lights...at first I thought perhaps they were eyes, but there were only three of them, and they shone so brightly like flashlights. Before I could even move to shut the curtain, the lights moved closer. They belonged to three heavy-looking figures, and thanks to their bright lights, I could make out some details. I quickly reached over and flipped the patio light on to get a better look.

I was able to see them fully now. Their bow-ties, their robotic claw-like hands and...those top-hats...What the hell?! Was this some kind of joke? They were...Hat-Bots! From Villainous! No no, this had to be some kind of dream. Now my dogs were going absolutely ballistic. I dropped the bat and went to grab them when one of the Hat-Bots crashed through the door, hands aimed to snag me. I cried out and fell back, avoiding being grabbed. My dogs, despite knowing these were intruders, didn’t attack. They just stayed back and kept barking. Some guard dogs they were, though what could they do against three literal robots?

I scrambled to pick up the bat, avoiding more hands flying at me. A hand managed to catch me by my ankle, holding me upside down. I let out a fierce cry and swung the bat at the robot’s head, but all it did was cause it to malfunction for a second. Then its singular eye turned bright red. Uh oh. I laughed nervously, letting go of the bat, showing that I was surrendering. This was all just a dream. I was going to wake up soon. 

Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited...and let out a suddenly screech as I felt myself fall to the floor. I grunted and opened my eyes to see a single hand protruding from the chest of the robot. As the hand pulled back and the robot fell, I gasped. 

"What the fuck?! Golden Goddess?!"

Before I knew it, the other robots were tossed around like rag-dolls. The blonde haired heroine worked fast, making sure the Hat Bots were nothing but piles of scrap and wires. All I could do was watch in awe. I couldn't believe it. This had to be a dream. Not only did robots from a cartoon try to grab a hold of me, but now Esmeralda's hero OC was in front of me, destroying them.

Suddenly, she grabbed me by my arm and held me close. "Wait! Wait what's--"

"No time to explain!" She flew up in the air, keeping a firm grip on me. I screamed and squeezed my eyes shut. Heights! I hated heights!

"Wait! W-Wait! High! Too high! M-My dogs! T-The door! My mom will throw a fit--!"

"Stop struggling! You're in danger--" She almost dropped me and let out a frustrated sigh. "I knew this would happen. I'm sorry!"

She suddenly slammed her head against mine. I went out faster than a light bulb. The last thought I had? This was all just a dream...or a nightmare.


End file.
